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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25232434">Left at the Altar</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReluctantPrincess/pseuds/xhookswenchx'>xhookswenchx (ReluctantPrincess)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Once Upon a Time (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:03:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,755</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25232434</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReluctantPrincess/pseuds/xhookswenchx</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Emma Swan's fiance leaves her at the altar, the Justice of the Peace invites her to dinner.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>79</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is for my enablers! You know who you are!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>This was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>happening. Sure, Neal had always been the flaky one in the relationship, but he had </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>waited until they were standing there in front of the Justice of the Peace to change his mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He </span>
  <em>
    <span>hadn’t.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He </span>
  <em>
    <span>had.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Emma wanted to crawl into a hole and die, but she swore to herself that she wouldn’t cry. Not here. Not when there were three other couples right behind her waiting for their turn to wed. So there she stood, brave face on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>your </span>
  </em>
  <span>idea to get married,” she hissed. It wasn’t just humiliating, it was awkward having this conversation in front of a complete stranger. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neal shrugged and shuffled his feet. “I just… I’m not sure I’m ready for a commitment right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fucking pregnant!” she snapped. “It’s a little late to say you don’t want to commit to anything!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not that far along,” he reasoned. “There’s plenty of time to find someone to adopt the kid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was about to lay into him when she heard a loud ripping sound. They both turned to see the JP ripping the certificate to shreds. He was glaring at Neal. “Get out,” he said, his words clipped and harsh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, Emma-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not her,” he growled. “You sir, need to leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s my ride home,” Neal argued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Emma groaned. The last thing she wanted to do was spend one more second with her stupid now-ex-boyfriend. “He’s right,” she sighed. “You need to leave and find your own way home. Because I’m not wasting any more time on you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything was a blur after that. Neal attempted to say something, but the next thing she knew was that the JP was not-so-gently leading him outside. Hopefully, he’d throw him in a cab or tell him to find his own way home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Emma sat down and waved off the other couples who had surrounded her. She appreciated the gesture, but was in no mood to be comforted. If anyone fawned over her right now, she might just burst into tears and that would make things worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So she sat down and quietly watched as the JP returned and married off the remaining couples. She wasn’t exactly sure what she felt. It couldn’t be heartbreak. She hadn’t truly been in love with Neal for some time now. The only reason she’d agreed to stick with him was because she was pregnant and wanted her kid to have the family she never had growing up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>angry. But also, relieved. She could go home and throw Neal’s stuff out on the porch and let him slink back to his father’s house in shame. Then, she’d have to change the locks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After that, she’d have to figure out what to do about the child that deserved everything, and didn’t ask to be brought into the middle of the insanity that was her life. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted </span>
  </em>
  <span>this baby. She just wasn’t sure she could go it alone. Sure, she had her brother and sister-in-law who would be more than happy to help out, but they couldn’t do </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything.</span>
  </em>
  <span> She had no clue how to be a mother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’d hate to screw the poor kid up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Miss Swan?” It was the man who she most likely should have considered her hero. Though, Emma wasn’t one to swoon like that. Especially not after the day she’d just had. Still, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>gotten rid of Neal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I know you’re getting ready to close up. I’ll-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nonsense,” he stated as he took a seat next to her. “I just wanted to apologize. I should have made sure you were all right after I got Mr. Cassidy out the door, but I had to finish up with my other customers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was absolutely dumbfounded, and maybe she was swooning a little bit. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>have a pretty face and a nice accent. But…  “Aren’t you on salary?” she asked. “I’m pretty sure you don’t get paid overtime for staying late to be nice to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He chuckled, a deep, way too sexy chuckle. “You’re right. I don’t get overtime for this. But I’m here anyway. I thought perhaps we could grab a bite to eat before you go home?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you asking me on a pity date?” she groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would never pity you,” he assured her. “Never in my life have I seen a man pull a stunt like that. To abandon the mother of your child… at the altar no less. Yet, you stood strong when everyone would have understood if you’d run off or cried your eyes out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah…” she’d had a lump in her throat since that very moment, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. “It would still be even worse on my ego if I started bawling in public. Especially over an idiot like Neal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He certainly doesn’t deserve you,” he stated. “Killian Jones,” he introduced himself, even though she already knew who he was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Emma Swan,” she replied. “And thanks.” She gave him a half smile. Genuine, but all she could really muster up at that point. “And I still think it’s a pity date, but I’m hungry, and I’m sure starving an unborn child is frowned upon, so… if the offer is still on the table?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We wouldn’t want either of you to starve,” he agreed. “Just give me a moment to close up. Is there a place you’d prefer?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anywhere but Storybrooke,” she stated. “The gossip is going to fly when people find out what happened. If they see me showing up at the diner with another man on my wedding day…” she rolled her eyes, hoping it was enough for him to get the hint.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Killian nodded and laughed. “Aye. I understand small towns well. No worries though. We can grab a bite out here and then go our separate ways.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That sounded like her kind of date.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Emma grumbled when her phone rang bright and early. She reached over to the nightstand where she’d left it and groaned audibly when she realized who was calling.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Neal. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello?” she whispered, not wanting to risk waking Killian. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Emma?” Neal shouted. “Where the hell are you? I know you were mad, but you never came home last night and-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Emma froze when someone else reached for the phone and shut it off, effectively cutting off Neal’s rant. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dammit. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“He doesn’t deserve your time,” Killian stated. He pulled her close to him and kissed her shoulder as he settled his arm around her waist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her </span>
  <em>
    <span>very pregnant </span>
  </em>
  <span>waist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>God. She’d slept with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not only had she slept with him, but she’d stayed, and now he was very likely getting a very </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong </span>
  </em>
  <span>idea about where things were going. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have to go,” she blurted out, sounding a little too panicked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay just a little longer,” he said, smooth and calm. He found her hand and laced their fingers together. “Please?’ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He kissed her shoulder again, reminding Emma once again that they were both naked, and he was very much ready for a sequel to their previous night’s adventures. She tried not to think about how he’d made her feel last night. Beautiful, sexy, </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted. </span>
  </em>
  <span>All things she hadn’t felt in at least three months. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she was pregnant, and huge, and her stretch marks had stretch marks. How was he not horrified? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No. He was probably just a great actor and this was a pity fuck of some sort, and sure, it had made her feel great, but-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Swan?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I really have to go,” she said again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All right.” He sounded defeated as he let her go. She didn’t dare look back at him as she gathered her clothes and made her way out of his house. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Emma kicks Neal out of her house and her life. Killian tries to return some lost property.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Getting Neal out of her house was harder than she’d anticipated. For whatever reason, he seemed to think they were just going to go back to the way things were. Like he </span>
  <em>
    <span>hadn’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>humiliated her in front of all those people the day before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>over</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she stated for what felt like the tenth time. “You don’t want a commitment, and I don’t want you hanging around where you’re not needed. I’m tired of carrying you, Neal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got nowhere to go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not my problem!” she shouted. “Get out!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neal muttered something under his breath as he got out of the chair he’d been man-spreading in. His sour disposition didn’t stop him from one last attempt to get back into her good graces though. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop it,” Emma turned away when he reached for her face. He’d lost the right to touch her the minute he’d bolted. They were </span>
  <em>
    <span>done, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and she wasn’t going to let him weasel his way back. “It’s not going to work. Please leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neal puffed out an annoyed sigh, but he didn’t back away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing?” Emma snapped. “Get out!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that a hickey?” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyes flew open and she glared at him. “That is none of your business,” she said darkly, taking a step back since he’d refused to get away from her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>cheating </span>
  </em>
  <span>on me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“God dammit, Neal!” She knew her neighbors would probably complain if she got much louder, but if she didn’t scream at him right now, she’d punch him, and that would only land her in hot water. She didn’t need to lose her job over an idiot. “You left me at the altar. There was no other way for this to go! We were done as of yesterday, so everything I did after you ran off was done with a clear conscience!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I never said I wanted to break up!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Too bad! We’re done! Get out!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was the one thing she’d done right. The house was hers. Neal had only just brought over a few boxes from his father’s place the week before when he’d proposed marriage. She should have guessed when he hadn’t unpacked that things weren’t going to go well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guess I made the right choice yesterday,” he grumbled as he gathered his boxes. “Have fun whoring around. Good luck pinning that kid on someone else.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wanted to ask what he meant, but deep down she knew. He was using this all as an excuse to get out of his responsibilities. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good thing I don’t need you,” she retorted. “Or anyone else for that matter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Emma didn’t want a damn thing from him. </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Killian assumed that Emma ran out because she didn’t want to see him again, but he couldn’t live with himself if he used that as an excuse to keep her property. The plan was simple, he’d run up, drop off the ring and then disappear from her life just as quickly as she had his. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t expect the door to swing open, or to see Emma standing on the other side of it, arms crossed, looking like she wanted to murder him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I help you?” She asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know what this looks like,” he reasoned. “But I can explain.” He held out the envelope he was about to place on her porch. “I wasn’t going to bother you, but I thought it only right that I return this to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Emma took the envelope and frowned when she opened it to find her engagement ring. “You thought I’d want this thing back?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He scratched behind his ear and shrugged. “Look Swan, I don’t know your situation. I’m certain that ring is the last thing you’d want to have though. But… if you needed the money, at least you could have something of value to pawn.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her expression softened, and he thought he might actually see a smile forming. “I was just gonna take a walk…” she said. “If you wanted to join me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was a bit surprised that she’d invited him, but joined her all the same. While they made their way to the pier, he learned that her ex had left the day before, and had been blowing up her phone ever since. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like it out here,” she said when they reached the end of the pier. “It’s nice and quiet on most days, and then on Saturdays, they have a fisherman’s market.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Killian tried to imagine the harbor filled with boats coming in with their freshest catch. “I’d imagine that would be one of the not so quiet days?” he quipped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” she laughed. “But it’s still nice. Not that I’d know a damn thing about fish if I tried to cook it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nearly offered to cook for her, but then remembered how quickly she’d run away the moment he’d gotten a little too close. She’d only just let him back in, he wasn’t about to frighten her off again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What he couldn’t understand was why she was going on about the fisherman's market. Or cooking. Or any of it really. Not that he wasn’t interested in what she had to say, but it seemed almost like a nervous babble. Then, he noticed her fist was clenched.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The ring. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Swan?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a fierce look of determination in her eyes, she chucked the ring as far as she could into the ocean. “I don’t need a damn thing from him,” she stated. Her eyes watered, but she swiped at them before any tears fell. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if the very thought of him was a summons, Emma’s phone rang. She took one look at the caller ID and moved to send the phone to the depths with the ring.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Swan, wait!” He grabbed her hand and pulled the phone out of it before she could let it sail through the air. “You may not need a thing from him, but I’m certain a new phone is an expense you’d rather not deal with right now”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At first, it looked as though she might murder him for intervening. Then, she sighed. “I guess you’re right. Come on. I’ve got a fridge full of beers I can’t drink.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Inviting you over?” she finished his question. “Yeah. And I’ll even make you lunch if you want. It’s just boxed macaroni, but beggars can’t be choosers, right?” The smile that he’d so missed returned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Truthfully, he hated the stuff, but he’d accept just about anything she offered. “Food is food,” he agreed. “And I’d never say no to a beer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d definitely never say no to spending more time with Emma either.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>I'm back with some more of this fic! Thank you so much to @ilovemesomekillianjones for taking a look through all of this for me! :)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“I’m sorry I ran out on you,” Emma blurted out as they sat down to lunch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I won’t lie to you, Swan,”he sighed, “it hurt. But… I understand. I also didn’t exactly expect things to go quite the way they did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You and me both.” Emma got up to get herself a water, and Killian his promised beer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was more to it than that, but he didn’t push her. Instead, he happily accepted his beer and macaroni, and joined her in small talk. It was somewhat awkward small talk, but it was something. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want from me, Killian?” she asked when they finished and started to clear the table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The question caught him off guard. Granted, he could understand it. They’d had a one night stand. She’d made it clear the moment she ran that she wasn’t interested in anything more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing,” he answered, hoping it would appease her. He then followed her into the kitchen, fully intent on helping her clean up.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Everything.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She put the dishes in the sink and turned to look at him. He took a quick step back, not wanting to crowd her. “I know that’s not true,” she stated. “But I can’t jump into something new. Especially not with a guy I hardly know. No matter how great the sex was.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t help but smirk. It </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>pretty great. Still…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have room in your life for a friend?” he suggested, earning a small smile from her in return. He wanted so much more, but she clearly wasn’t ready. Hell, he wasn’t all that ready. Emma had a point, they hardly knew each other. He couldn’t deny it though, there was a definite spark between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Perhaps she couldn’t deny it either. Was that why she’d run?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” she said, her demeanor doing a complete turn around. Suddenly, the closed off woman who’d just attempted to shoot down any hope he had of winning her over turned coy and playful. “Would that friend be open to some benefits?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yes! </span>
  </em>
  <span>His mind screamed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you certain?” he asked instead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was apparently the wrong thing to ask, because her face fell and her mood soured quickly. “I’m sorry,” she sighed. “I know I’m sending all sorts of mixed signals, and I’m huge anyway. We both agreed that the other night was a fluke-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not what I meant,” he said quickly. “I just… I didn't want you to think I was expecting anything. If you’re open to sharing some benefits, I’m game, darling.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The smile returned, and it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever witnessed. He never wanted to see it fade again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stood there for a moment, as if neither of them knew what to do or say next. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you um… want to cash in on those benefits now?” she asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely,” he said with a grin. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That was apparently the right thing to say.</span>
  </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Emma had made plenty of terrible choices in her life, but letting Killian into it did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>fall on her laundry list of mistakes. At least...she hoped it didn’t. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the very least, she couldn’t get pregnant again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Killian moved closer and kissed her shoulder. Her thoughts drifted to the night before and how she’d run out before he ever had a chance to say a word. She wanted to freak out again, but this time, they were in her home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was in her bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Cuddling.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It was kind of nice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Emma relaxed against him as he slipped an arm around her. She wasn’t really sure what they were supposed to do. Afternoon sex wasn’t something she’d ever really experienced. Hell, </span>
  <em>
    <span>most </span>
  </em>
  <span>of the things they’d done over the past few days were things she’d never experienced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sex with Killian Jones was… indescribable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not that she wanted to tell him that. The last thing she needed to do was let the man beside her know that before him, her sex life absolutely sucked. Up until now, the only time she’d ever been able to get off was if she did it herself. Multiple orgasms were nothing more than a fantasy that never happened in real life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’d always thought Ruby was exaggerating when she talked about all the amazing sex she’d had. To Emma, it had simply become just another chore to keep Neal happy.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Neal.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Had she ever really been in love with him? He definitely didn’t seem to be in love with her. She was a meal ticket, and a guaranteed lay at the end of the day.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>God.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Why had she ever stayed with him?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can hear you thinking,” Killian murmured. “Would you like me to leave?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” she said softly. “I just… I don’t know what we’re supposed to do now.” Cuddling after sex was new. As was having a partner who didn’t just roll over and go to sleep seconds later. She knew she could get used to this, and that would mean trouble.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can sleep,” he suggested. “Or talk. Or get out of bed and find something else to do.” When Emma didn’t answer, he took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “If you’re uncomfortable, I can leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But she didn’t want him to leave.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve never done the friends with benefits thing before,” she admitted. She didn’t admit that he was only the second person she’d slept with, but that was just another thing he didn’t need to know. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s new territory for me too,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A nap sounds good,” she stated. “And… I’d like it a lot better if you didn’t leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As you wish,” he agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was pretty sure her heart might burst.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Monday morning, her brother was waiting for her at the station. “I really don’t want to talk about Neal,” Emma muttered. She knew it was coming, and the fact that she hadn’t called David or Mary Margaret all weekend meant that they’d had nearly three whole days to stew about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m the desk sergeant today, so we’re going to talk about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh the joys of working with family.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Disclosing the worst of it was easy enough. Neal was an asshole. She took a whole day off to go into Portland to get married, and the jerk waited until everything was nearly done to change his mind. She’d wasted a whole day, about fifty bucks, and now, she was a single mom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It should have been more painful to think about it, but over the weekend she’d realized that she’d mentally checked out of the relationship some time ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hadn’t called, because she wasn’t ready for a lecture. Both David and Mary Margaret disliked Neal. They merely tolerated his presence because he was with Emma. They’d both warned her against marrying him, stating that divorce was a pain in the ass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, she didn’t have to worry about that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look,” David sighed. “I figured you needed time to deal with all of this, so I made sure Mary Margaret didn’t bother you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I really don’t need an ‘I told you so’ right now,” Emma said. “And it’s over. For good. You don’t have to fake nice to him anymore, and you don’t have to worry about him coming around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” he asked, completely blowing past the entire lecture she’d been expecting. “I know I can be hard on you sometimes, but this is… it’s different. You got your heart broken-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Emma cut him off. “I didn’t. You were right. Neal was a mistake, and I didn’t have to go through with the wedding. It’s fine. I’m over it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gave her a look that told her he didn’t believe her. But she couldn’t just tell him she was fine because she’d met a good looking guy who had taken her to dinner. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely </span>
  </em>
  <span>couldn’t tell him she’d spent the entire weekend in bed with Killian Jones.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll let you know if I need anything,” she assured him. She could see it wasn’t the answer he wanted, but it was enough to hold him off for now. </span>
</p>
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